Tex-Mex Salad
A dietitians twist on a traditional taco salad makes this unique “tex-mex salad” slightly different from other recipes and the perfect ground beef salad to reach for on a weeknight!
Growing up in a family of 9, my mom was always looking for easy yet nutritious meals that were large enough to feed a crowd, wouldn't require hours to prepare, and were full of nutritious ingredients. Casseroles, soups, and salads- like taco salad- were a regular occurrence in my home!
While I grew up with this recipe as a “taco salad",” I live in Texas now so naturally it has been rebranded to a “tex-mex salad”… but with a few nutritious twists of my own! This is a salad with no tomatoes (I’m a dietitian who doesn’t like tomatoes) but I replaced them with other traditional taco ingredients like red bell pepper and thinly sliced red onions that I think make this recipe more meal prep friendly and slightly different from other recipes you’ll find!
Why you’ll love this recipe:
This tex-me salad is a nutritiously easy recipe to add to your weekly routine. You’ll love it because:
It’s a ground beef salad: my husband will sign up for any salad for dinner if it’s a ground beef salad. Taco seasoned ground beef not only bring out the Tex-Mex flavors of this salad but also adds important nutrients like vitamin B12, heme iron, and high quality protein!
Full of veggies: This salad features a bed of romaine lettuce, a red bell pepper, sliced cucumbers, beans, and avocado to help you work towards your goal of 5 servings of fruits or vegetables a day.
High in fiber: Sliced avocado, fresh veggies, and a can of kidney beans help boost the fiber content of this salad and make it more filling!
Meal prep friendly… with a few modifications: Crunchy romaine makes it easy to meal prep this salad for the week. If you are going to meal prep this salad, keep the plantain chips (or tortilla chips) and avocado separate and simply add them when you are ready to eat!
Can be made with your favorite dressing: I personally love to make this Tex-Mex salad with my healthier jalapeño ranch dressing but you can also make this taco salad with Catalina dressing, ranch, thousand Island dressing, or just salsa to really enhance the taco flavors!
Can be made into a bowl: if you want to turn this Tex-Mex salad into a Tex-Mex bowl, simply make the salad as written and serve over Spanish rice or garlic quinoa.
The process:
This recipe has only a few steps and you’ll start by seasoning your meat with the taco seasoning and browning it until cooked fully through.
While your meat cooks, finely dice all of your lettuce, veggies, and cilantro then add them to a large bowl. (choose a bowl that is large enough to mix your salad with dressing!)
Add your cooked meat, cheese, and crushed plantain chips (or tortilla chips if you prefer that).
Toss in your favorite dressing (like this healthy jalapeño ranch) and enjoy!
Recipe modification suggestions
A lot of my recipes can be customized to fit your own flavor preferences. Here are a few suggestions I have to modify this recipe:
Switch up the veggies: traditional taco salad veggies include greens, tomatoes, sliced peppers, jalapeños, onions, and black or pinto beans. You can also reach for ingredients like tomatillos or Chile peppers to add other fresh flavors! Don’t feel married to the vegetables I have chosen.
Change your protein: this is a ground beef salad but it would be equally as delicious with thinly sliced chicken, taco seasoned ground turkey, or thinly sliced picanha steak. You can also keep it plant based and add taco seasoned lentils or an extra can of beans!
Turn it into a bowl: I often eat this salad as a chipotle style bowl and serve it over Spanish rice, cilantro lime rice, or garlic quinoa.
Use regular chips: I highly recommend trying out the picante plantain chips as they add a delicious crunch to the salad but you can also use tortilla chips or even crushed Fritos.
And more!
Ingredients:
There is really no wrong way to make a delicious taco salad but I like to include unique ingredients like:
Chopped greens: I use chopped romaine but you could add spinach, kale, or other greens.
Ground beef: I recommend keeping it lean with 93% for this ground beef salad.
Avocado: Add this later if you are going to meal prep.
Red bell pepper: If you aren’t a bell pepper person then I would recommend tomatoes.
Shredded cheese: because it wouldn't be a Tex-Mex salad if there wasn’t shredded cheese.
Red onion: CHOP THIS SMALL! Red onion is a great addition to a salad but can be overpowering if not sliced small enough.
Cucumber: This hydrating vegetables bumps up the vegetable servings and crunch factor.
Red kidney beans: While different from the traditional beans you would see in a taco salad, I choose red kidney beans because they add a beautiful color to the salad!
Cilantro: Fresh cilantro enhances the fresh flavors of this salad.
Plantain chips: Trust me on this, spiced plantain chips are a delicious addition. I reach for picante or Chile lemon flavored plantain chips. You can also use tortilla chips or Fritos. Add this ingredient later if you want to meal prep this salad.
Dressing of choice: I made a delicious greek yogurt jalapeño ranch dressing but you could make this taco salad with Catalina dressing, taco sauce, ranch, thousand island dressing, or even just salsa! Add the dressing later if you want to meal prep this salad.
Recipe FAQ:
Can you meal prep taco salad?
Yes, this salad can be meal prepped but I would add the plantain chips, avocado, and dressing when you are ready to eat to avoid soggy ingredients or greens.
What is a safe internal temperature for ground beef.
Ground beef should reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
What dressing do you recommend?
You can use my healthy jalapeño ranch dressing which is what you see pictured. You can also make taco salad with Catalina dressing, ranch, pico de Gallo, salsa, thousand island dressing and more!
Ground Beef Taco Salad
Ingredients
Instructions
- Add your ground beef to a pan, season with taco seasoning, and brown until cooked through. Once cooked, allow your beef to cool before adding it to your salad.
- While the ground beef cooks chop your lettuce, cucumber, bell pepper, onion, cilantro, avocado. Open your can of beans and drain out the liquid.
- Add your lettuce, beef, beans, veggies, and cilantro to a large bowl. Top with plantain chips, shredded cheese, avocado, and your dressing then toss until well combined. Enjoy!
- *pro-tip: if you want to meal prep this taco salad, leave off the dressing and plantain chips until you are ready to eat.
Nutrition information has been approximated.
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Hey! I’m Lauren
I’m a Registered Dietitian and busy toddler mom committed to bringing you delicious, nutritious, and easy-to-make recipes!